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Home » Archives for Karen Ball » Page 4

Karen Ball

Creativity Sparks

By Karen Ballon October 19, 2016
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Thank all of you for the blessing of your shared thoughts, encouragement, and condolences on my blog last week. As I suspected, many others have been in this place of struggling to wrench creativity from the jaws of emotional/spiritual/physical fog. Your suggestions echoed my own, from giving yourself time to setting a timer, to just writing anything to get words on paper (I even decided writing out the grocery list qualified <gg>).

I went through a similar struggle after my mom died back in ’02—and I was on a book deadline. It was awful. A year or so later, as I thought through that struggle, I decided to make a list of the things that spark my creativity. I was surprised to discover that some are simple—such as smelling a fragrance that takes me back to childhood—and many don’t have anything to do with actually writing. But in doing them, I often find scenes or stories or even just the expression of emotions sending me to the keyboard.

I’ve added to my list over the years as I’ve discovered new sparks, and I’m finding that this list has been so helpful to me now. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to do the same. When you’re not in the struggle, and even when you are, make a list of your most effective Creativity Sparks.  Then, in those days when you can’t think straight, you have something tangible that can be a springboard. No, not all of the ideas will work during the hard times. But if even one can do so, that’s a victory.

Here are a few of my Creativity Sparks:

  • Sit in a dimly lit room, put on music and crank the volume so loud you feel it in your bones.
  • Go outside and watch the birds.
  • Take macro pictures (what I mean by this is to take super close-ups)
  • Take a nap
  • Watch a movie
  • When you watch a movie, ask yourself why you like/dislike a certain character
  • Fix hot chocolate with marshmallows and savor it
  • Hug your dog. Close your eyes and feel the softness of his fur. Lean your face against him and listen to his breathing.
  • Study the colors of the leaves
  • Float in the pool and watch the clouds
  • Look through pictures on gettyimages.com until you find a face you want to write about

If you don’t have one already, why not start your own list today.  It doesn’t have to be long. Just one or two sparks can, well, spark even more ideas. And you may be surprised what a lifesaver this list can be when you’re lost in the fog.

 

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Category: Creativity, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Writing through the Fog      

By Karen Ballon October 12, 2016
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You may have noticed I haven’t had a blog posted here since losing my dear dad a few weeks ago. I want to thank all of you for your kind expressions of sympathy and your encouragement. You blessed me a great deal. God has held me close, granting me wondrous touches of His kindness and peace. Though grief hits me at unexpected times—such as last night, while I was clearing off the kitchen counter …

Read moreWriting through the Fog      
Category: Personal, The Writing LifeTag: The Writing Life, Writers Block

Autumn Haiku

By Karen Ballon September 21, 2016
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I love autumn. Love the crisp air, the faint scent of burning leaves, the cold mornings that still give way to sunny, blue-sky days. Love watching the leaves change into their new wardrobe of rich red, gold, and orange. There’s so much about this season that testifies to God’s artistry and creativity. So, as autumn officially launches, let’s share some of our creativity with each other by crafting …

Read moreAutumn Haiku
Category: Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Haiku

“Do You Love Me?”

By Karen Ballon September 14, 2016
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Have you heard the one about the elderly woman who heard her friends’ husbands over the years tell them how much they loved them? Oh! How she longed for her husband to do the same. To regale her with the depth and breadth of his enduring love. But…nothing. Finally, as they were sitting out on the porch one morning, she turned to him and said as sweetly as she could, “WHY don’t you ever say you …

Read more“Do You Love Me?”
Category: Personal, TheologyTag: God's love, Theology

Lessons from a Conference

By Karen Ballon August 31, 2016
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I recently returned home from teaching at the Oregon Christian Writer’s Conference, held in Portland, Oregon. It was a grand time of sharing and laughter, learning and listening. Here are the main lessons I brought home with me from this time spent in the company of fellow writers: 1. Even with all the changes, there’s still a lot to celebrate in the publishing world. From contracts with …

Read moreLessons from a Conference
Category: Conferences, Get PublishedTag: Community, Get Published, writers conferences

This Is Why We Write

By Karen Ballon August 24, 2016
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I made a mistake a few days ago: I watched the news. I seldom do that. Yes, I am informed on events. I have notices come to my phone in bite-sized pieces so I can control the onslaught of evil swarming over us. But on that day, I sat there, watching, weeping, wondering when people gave up being…well, human? When they became animals, given over to the darkest drives within with such abandon that …

Read moreThis Is Why We Write
Category: TheologyTag: Encouragement, Theology

The Proposal Review Process

By Karen Ballon August 17, 2016
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You’ve all been there (and if you haven’t yet, you will…). You put together the perfect proposal and finally, finally send it off to agents for their review. So what happens next? Well, from your point of view, waiting. And waiting. And…(yes, we’ve covered that before. The waiting. That’s not what this is about.) But how about from the agent’s point of view? What on earth are they doing all that …

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Category: Agency, Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: Agency, book proposals, Process

Why Attend a Writer’s Conference?

By Karen Ballon August 10, 2016
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In my blog of May 25, 2016, I invited folks to submit ideas for future blogs. Today’s blog is to respond to Rebekah Love Dorris’s question: “As a busy parent of young children, I scramble to find time to even write. How necessary is it to attend conferences if I study the writing craft as much as I can here and there?” I know it’s not easy to attend a writers’ conference. For one thing, it takes …

Read moreWhy Attend a Writer’s Conference?
Category: Conferences, Get PublishedTag: Get Published, writers conferences

The Best Time to Submit to an Agent

By Karen Ballon August 3, 2016
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Thanks to Katie Powner for her question on my May 25, 2016 blog, which sparked this blog. There have been many changes in publishing over the last few years. In fact, it seems we just get used to some element of publishing, and wham! It’s turned on its head. But there is something that hasn’t changed. Something I don’t think will ever change. At least, I pray it won’t. Story trumps all. Oh, I …

Read moreThe Best Time to Submit to an Agent
Category: Agents, Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: Agents, book proposals, Get Published, story

Keys to Killing Your Social Media Presence

By Karen Ballon July 27, 2016
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Okay, we all talk about how to make social media work for you. But lately I’ve noticed some things that don’t work at all. Some of which have been tied to the whole political climate nowadays. Others, though, have been around for a long time, and I’ve just kind of hit the wall with them. But all of them have been really effective tools—if the goal is to ensure people quit those FB pages, blogs, or …

Read moreKeys to Killing Your Social Media Presence
Category: Platform, Social MediaTag: Platform, Social Media
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